Senate President Godswill Akpabio has called for enhanced police protection for members of the National Assembly, warning that worsening economic hardship and persistent insecurity across the country have heightened risks for lawmakers and underscored the urgent need for stronger institutional collaboration on national security.
Akpabio made the call on Friday while delivering an address at a rare joint sitting of the National Assembly, moments before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented the Federal Government’s budget estimates to a combined session of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Speaking against the backdrop of rising inflation, public frustration, and widespread insecurity, the Senate President said lawmakers increasingly share in the pain, grief, and vulnerability of the citizens they represent.
“Too many Nigerians continue to struggle with the cost of living. Too many communities remain burdened by insecurity,” Akpabio said. “Whenever we meet, a senator or a representative carries the pain of bereaved families from his constituency. These tragedies are not statistics; they are human lives.”
While reaffirming that the first duty of government is the protection of lives and property, Akpabio stressed that legislators—often at the frontlines of public engagement—must be adequately protected to carry out their constitutional responsibilities effectively.
The Senate President’s remarks come amid growing concerns within the National Assembly over the withdrawal of police personnel attached to lawmakers, a policy driven by broader efforts to redeploy officers to frontline policing.
Although Akpabio did not directly reference the withdrawal order, his emphasis on lawmakers’ security was widely interpreted as an appeal to the executive to reconsider measures that could expose legislators to danger amid heightened public tension.
Economic hardship, analysts say, has intensified public anger, at times manifesting as hostility toward elected officials. Several lawmakers have reportedly faced threats, protests, and security breaches in their constituencies in recent months.
Akpabio warned that insecurity affecting citizens inevitably extends to their representatives.
“Insecurity is not selective,” he said. “It tests our collective resolve and reminds us that peace is not inherited—it must be constantly defended.”
The Senate President anchored his appeal within a broader call for institutional cooperation, arguing that national progress depends on harmony between the Executive and the Legislature.
Drawing on historical examples from the United States and the United Kingdom, Akpabio said nations advance when institutions work together and falter when rivalry and hostility take precedence.
“History teaches us that great nations are not built by perfect conditions, but by leaders who make hard choices together with their Parliament,” he said.
He warned that executive-legislative conflicts—especially over budgetary and security matters—could weaken state institutions and erode public confidence, as seen in countries that experienced prolonged political deadlock.
Akpabio noted that lawmakers have remained active despite mounting pressures, highlighting the 10th National Assembly’s productivity, which has passed landmark legislation on security, fiscal reform, governance, judicial administration, and social protection.
According to him, these reforms aim to strengthen the nation’s security architecture, improve intelligence coordination, and restore public trust in government institutions.
However, he cautioned that legislative effectiveness cannot be sustained if lawmakers themselves feel unsafe.
“The task of nation-building requires patience, sacrifice, and unity of purpose,” Akpabio said. “But those entrusted with this responsibility must also be protected.”
The call for police protection comes at a sensitive time, as public debate intensifies over the privileges of political office holders amid widespread hardship.
Akpabio acknowledged public suffering and rejected any suggestion that lawmakers are insulated from national pain, insisting that the legislature remains committed to ensuring that every naira appropriated delivers value to Nigerians.
Reform, he said, is difficult but unavoidable.
“The path of reform is not easy,” Akpabio said. “But it is the only path that leads forward.”
Looking Ahead
As President Tinubu presented the budget estimates shortly after Akpabio’s address, expectations remain high that security funding and —both for citizens and those tasked with governing—will feature prominently in legislative deliberations.
Observers say the Senate President’s remarks signal an effort to balance public sensitivity with the practical realities of governance, particularly as Nigeria confronts economic strain and security challenges simultaneously.
Whether the executive will respond to the lawmakers’ concerns on police protection remains to be seen, but Akpabio’s intervention has firmly placed the issue within the broader national conversation on security, hardship, and democratic stability.
